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Previous Volume 356:1966-1978 May 10, 2007 Number 19 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Hypertension affects approximately 25% of the adult population worldwide, and its prevalence is predicted to increase by 60% by 2025, when a total of 1.56 billion people may be affected.¹ It is the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is responsible for most deaths worldwide.² Primary hypertension, also known as essential or idiopathic hypertension, accounts for as many as 95% of all cases of hypertension.³

Primary hypertension results from the interplay of internal derangements (primarily in the kidney) and the external environment. Sodium, the main extracellular cation, has long been considered the pivotal environmental factor in the disorder. Numerous . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Dietary Sodium and Hypertension

Potassium Content of Sodium-Rich Diets

Vascular Effects of Potassium Depletion

Cardiovascular Effects of Potassium Supplementation

Lack of Adaptation of the Kidneys to the Modern Diet

Mechanisms of Altered Sodium and Potassium Homeostasis

Sodium Retention, Potassium Depletion, and Hypertension

Effects on the Arterial Wall

Effects on the Brain

Effects on Metabolism

Implications for Prevention and Treatment

Source Information

From the Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine; the Department of Medicine, Methodist Hospital; and the Renal Section, Veterans Affairs Medical Center — all in Houston (H.J.A.); and the Department of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, and the Division of Nephrology, Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center — both in Boston (N.E.M.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Madias at the Department of Medicine, Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, 736 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02135, or at nicolaos.madias@caritaschristi.org.

Related Letters:

Mechanisms of Hypertension
Haddy F. J., Kotchen T. A., Handelman G., Kotanko P., Levin N. W., Epstein F. H., Adrogué H. J., Madias N. E.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2007; 357:827-829, Aug 23, 2007. Correspondence

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